Infinite Paths to the End
by dristi5683
Summary: How will Jay's revelation change his and Caitlin Snow's future? A study in alternate endings. Warnings: some chapters are dark, but some are also sweet. Spoilers for season 2, episode 18. (Caitlin Snow/Jay Garrick/Zoom) COMPLETE
1. Path 1 - Strength in Weakness

**Chapter One - Caitlin Snow Becomes Killer Frost**

Based on episode 2x20

With the text of Zoom's plans sent, Caitlin leaned her head back against the police desk and exhaled in relief. Barry would make sure everyone was safe. Even without his speed, he'd do everything possible to protect Central City.

She placed the phone on the floor next to her and shifted to prop her elbow on her knee. If she relaxed for a moment, the handcuff dug unforgivingly into her wrist, and she was tired of holding up her arm.

 _You think you are not like me, but I've seen the darkness inside of you._

Jay had said it as if he were merely commenting on the weather. A simple statement of fact. A truth. His, though, not hers. Not hers.

She forced her mind away from his words and looked around the abandoned room. Papers littered the desks, every computer monitor was powered on, the news blared from the TV on the wall, and chairs were pushed aside as if waiting for their owners to return. It was like a ghost town, and it sent a chill down her spine.

 _I've seen the darkness inside of you. Just like it was inside of Killer Frost. All you have to do is unlock it._

He'd knelt in front of her with Jay's eyes and Jay's face, but the way he spoke, the way he moved was pure Hunter Zolomon. Zoom. She'd fallen in love with a monster, and no matter how much she wanted to recoil from his proximity, she couldn't. No matter how much she wanted to hate him, she couldn't.

That didn't mean she'd forgive him for all the horrible things he'd done, all the deaths he'd caused, for deceiving her. She said she'd never be with him and she'd meant it.

A news alert pulled her attention to the reporter on TV. She stared at the woman, hoping to hear some good news. It'd been awhile since she'd had any, and right now, after being trapped in Zoom's lair and nearly killed by her evil doppelgänger, she needed that little boost more than anything.

When the reporter said the metahuman had been apprehended, she smiled.

"You told them Rupture was coming. How?"

Her gaze jerked to Jay, now towering over her, angry.

"How?" he demanded.

She shook her head, partly in fear—he'd never looked at her with such ferocity before—and partly because she couldn't answer him. Guilt shouldn't be an emotional response when it came to murderers, but there it was, gnawing at her conscience.

"Oh, you are smart, aren't you," he said, looking at the open police box and the cell phone she'd found in it. "You betrayed me!"

"You said you would spare them," she reasoned, though pleaded was how it came out.

Disappointment and something like bitter acceptance filled his features. "I guess now we're even."

As he put on the black mask, she leaned forward. "Jay, no."

Blue electricity zipped around his muscular frame. His voice changed to the ugly, crackling, sinister one of his alter-ego. "My name is Zoom."

With one last look at her over his shoulder, he sped away.

She turned to the TV just as he appeared in front of the officers being filmed inside Jitter's Coffee House. Her heart dropped. "No," she shouted at the screen.

He said something, then the next second, the cameraman must have collapsed, along with most everyone else in the room. The camera's view from the floor wasn't great. She could just barely make out several figures left standing.

Barry's voice came through, begging for him to not kill the police chief. To her surprise, Zoom dropped the man, but turned and ran his hand through Rupture's chest, picking him up and slamming him on a table. He made his way to the camera and lifted it to focus on his hideous mask. Besides the unnatural black eyes, his mouth was nothing but vertical slits, as if the suit's material had melted that way.

He slowly spun to show the destruction he'd wrought in a matter of seconds. "Central City, the Flash you've seen in your streets is a fake, a hologram meant to give you hope, but there is no more hope. There is no more Flash. There is no one left to protect your city. From me."

Caitlin turned away from the TV, barely able to breathe. She shouldn't have told him she wanted to go home. She shouldn't have asked him to let her go. Earth One would be safe, her friends would be safe, if she'd been able to control her emotions.

He'd brought her back, but only to conquer her world, like he'd done his, before moving on to how ever many more Earths existed.

But she _could_ freeze her emotions. She'd done it before: after Ronnie had died, and then again when she believed Zoom had murdered Jay. That had been to cope, though. Now, she needed to protect everyone she cared for.

 _All you have to do is unlock it._

Closing her eyes, she focused on what that could mean. The metaphorical switch she searched for didn't exist. There was no well of frigid power lying within her. Maybe it wasn't possible for her to be Killer Frost. Maybe she truly didn't have the genetic makeup for it.

"Caitlin," Jay said after appearing in the room with her, his voice back to normal: smooth and mellifluous.

She kept her gaze trained on the handcuffs he'd imprisoned her with.

"You're mad?" His boots thudded as he walked to her. "Barry and Joe are still alive because of you."

And everyone else was dead.

He sighed and knelt before her. "I still love you."

She looked at him, at Jay's gentle, blue eyes. The memories they shared together—their shy and awkward beginning, the times they worked seamlessly together in the lab, their heart-felt conversations, every passionate touch and kiss—made her yearn to tell him she felt the same.

When he reached out to her, she made sure not to flinch away like she had the last time he tried to touch her. She thought of the sweet man she'd fallen in love with, not this sociopathic murderer, to steady her breath and calm the frantic beating of her heart.

His fingers grazed her cheek and brushed back her hair. She leaned into his touch, hating how much her body responded to him.

No one was faster than Zoom. No one was as ruthless as him. Worse yet, he was always on guard. Except with her. In his own twisted way, he did love her. She'd seen it when he pretended to be Jay and she saw it now in his true form.

Cold spread through her, numbing her feelings and erasing the warmth of his touch.

His gaze flicked down to her lips. Still, she did not recoil. He leaned in closer, then paused, as if asking a question.

Glaciers took up residence in her heart. Ice filled her veins.

She tilted her head in permission and closed her eyes, waiting for the perfect moment to do what only she could.

Their lips met, tenderly at first, but then grew into something desperate and needy. He knotted his hand in her hair and pulled her closer to him, as if to consume her.

Caitlin sunk into his embrace and gave herself to him completely. She placed her free hand on the lightning bolt covering his chest and ran her fingers over the soft leather there. If it wasn't for the all-pervading black of his suit, the insignia would be no different than Barry's.

All of the pain and suffering Zoom had caused her friends flashed in her mind. She could stop it though. No one else had to be subjected to his wrath. No one else had to die.

The coldness permeating her solidified into something tangible. Before she knew it, he gasped and jerked away. An icicle thicker than her arm stuck out of the circular insignia on his chest, so similar to a bullseye.

Knowing he would pull it out to begin the healing process, she drew more of the bitter cold residing in her heart to her extremities. A frosty cloud formed around her hands, just like it had with her doppelgänger. The handcuffs cracked under the frigid temperature as she ripped her arm free. She shot out a steady stream of ice, coating him from the neck down and rendering him immobile. The Speed Force couldn't heal him now.

"Smart girl," he said with a ragged breath.

His confident smile turned into a grimace of pain. His once-bright eyes diminished with each passing second. Blue spread across his lips, yet the color in his face faded to a weakened, pallid version of itself. She watched the transformation with cool detachment, their gazes fixed on each other the entire time. His held no hatred, though, and despite how much she wanted to despise him, neither did hers.

When he took his last breath and his body turned to ash, the cold fled from her body, allowing her to feel once again. The ache in her chest was no smaller than the icicle in his heart. Tears streamed down her cheeks and shattered into a thousand tiny ice-crystals against the hard floor.

"I still love you too," she whispered to his empty grave.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'm obsessed with these two. Sadly, there are not enough stories for this complicated pair, so here is my contribution. Each chapter will be different. Some will have deaths and some won't, there will be happy and sad endings, some will be real possibilities and some that will only be found in fan fiction. Not all of them will be as closely related to an episode as this first one was.

I'm thinking about doing continuations for certain paths. If you have a favorite, let me know. I'll do the most popular first.

Constructive criticism is always welcome. Thank you for reading!


	2. Path 2 - Zoom's Weakness Exploited

**Path 2 - Zoom's Weakness Exploited**

Chapter two takes place after episode twenty, except Barry didn't immediately jump on the particle accelerator bandwagon. Besides the meta-humans coming out of the woodworks to swear their loyalty to Zoom, days pass without much hoopla. Until one late evening...

Hunter sped into the precinct and stopped at the top of the stairs. Caitlin sat, brushing her hair at the vanity, readying for bed. He'd cleared out the desks and brought in everything she'd need to be comfortable during their stay. At first, she'd refused it all, but, after a bit of convincing, she utilized the space as needed.

"Doctor Light came back," he told Caitlin, knowing her previous encounter with the meta-human would spark her interest.

She wouldn't speak to him unless absolutely necessary, and even then, it was very brief and dry. He missed her smile. He missed the way her eyes lit up around him. Now, they only dimmed in his presence, despite how much he tried to make her happy. Gifts were declined, time outside the precinct with him was dismissed, and any talk about science, including his world's advancements she'd previously shown interest in, weren't acknowledged.

Her brush paused halfway down a section of her hair. "Linda?"

"Earth Two Linda, yes."

"I thought she was hiding from you," she said, now facing him. It was the first time she'd intentionally looked at him since the Jitter's incident.

He tried not to smile. "Hiding is futile. She knows this."

Caitlin exhaled and turned back to the mirror.

"I wasn't after her." He took a step in her direction and paused. "Cait?"

She didn't move. She sat there, staring glaze-eyed at herself in the mirror.

"Caitlin?" he asked more urgently than he'd intended.

The power went out with an audible whoosh followed by a heavy silence. Thick shadows engulfed them, making it impossible to see anything but an impenetrable wall of black.

His body went on alert, muscles tense and ready for an attack. The surprise power outage, coupled with Caitlin's trance-like state, made the darkness only she could subdue bubble up from deep within him. He slipped on the mask of his suit and drew on the Speed Force coursing through his veins. Electricity crackled around him, it's blue light flashing chaotically as it zipped around his body.

A section of the blackness in front of him seemed to solidify. He stared at it, wondering if this could be a new meta-human, showing off his powers to impress him. Apparently, he hadn't met them all on Earth Two, and not everyone here knew of his short temper and dislike of such games. Examples would have to be made.

Despite his skin prickling in warning, the oddity's stillness made him doubt his eyes. He extended a hand to confirm his suspicions, but it passed through unimpeded.

When he turned to gather Caitlin and leave, something struck him in the face. He staggered back, and shook off the pain and disorientation with a low growl.

A whisper of a laugh breezed around him so soft he could've written it off as a mistake. Instead, he focused on the darkness surrounding him, searching for the shadowed man.

"You think to challenge me?" he asked in Zoom's rough, sinister voice.

When he found the oddity, he struck the newcomer. Except, his fist went straight through him, as if he were a faceless ghost of the night.

Zoom whipped around and followed the shadow across the room, away from Caitlin, for which he was grateful. She still hadn't made a move or sound. It was troubling, but once he killed the meta-human, she would be free of his power.

Speeding ahead of the shadow, Zoom doubled back to circle him, encasing him in a ring of his blue light to better see the spectral figure. Sure enough, he was a man, no bigger than him, dressed in flowing black robes.

As soon as Zoom zipped forward and the light faded, the meta-human disappeared into the shadows, becoming intangible once again. Hunter passed through him, then came to an abrupt stop and balled his hands into tight fists.

The newcomer struck him in the lower back and across the head before taking several more body shots. There was no dodging what he couldn't see. Instead, he spun around, striking every area the meta-human might be standing. Nothing landed, though, and he kept taking hit after hit.

The nonstop movement and heavy blows were taking their toll. His body ached and his lungs burned enough to force him to stop. The moment he did, his legs were swept out from under him. He landed on the hard floor with a thud.

Zoom laughed. "You will pay for that."

The lights came back on and someone else said, "We highly doubt that."

Hunter jumped to his feet and took in the strange people now filling the space. There were about thirty statue-like soldiers with thick, featureless helmets encapsulating their heads. A hooded man stood silently in their midst, holding a peculiar staff with a pair of old-fashioned scales hanging off the end. But it was the man clad in a green mask and bodysuit holding Caitlin upright with a single hand bunched in her hair who received his full attention.

Her gaze was still fixed on the vanity's mirror, seemingly unaware of the room and her captor's rough hold.

"I wouldn't move if I were you," he said. "Breathe wrong and she goes into the mirror, trapped for all time."

Zoom raised a brow, knowing his mask would show his disbelief.

"You don't believe me?" He shoved Caitlin's head into the mirror as if it were made of water, then pulled her out and smiled. "Mirror Master is my name. You've already met Shadow Thief. And this here is Libra." He gestured to the hooded figure.

"Coming here was a grave mistake," Zoom said, his electricity snapping and popping with his outrage.

Libra stepped forward. "We saw the video of your takeover here. It was impressive." He paused, bowing his head without ever taking his eyes off him. "Join us in our endeavor to conquer the world and bring back the balance the newly-made heroes have altered."

Zoom said nothing. He kept his body relaxed and his breath calm, all the while planning the order of their deaths.

When it was clear he would not immediately accept, Libra added, "Refuse, and she dies. You, however, will become one of them." He nodded to the eerily non-responsive helmeted soldiers.

The robed one stepped to him, silent as stale air.

Zoom looked over his shoulder at him, daring him to move any closer, then addressed the room. "Free Caitlin and I may let you all live."

Mirror Master tsked. "Can't say we didn't try."

Just as Zoom considered breaking his neck, a shadow fell over him, somehow feeling both smothering and freeing, as if he were a tied-down balloon. The room took on a strange nebulous quality, grey and incorporeal. He looked down at himself and could barely make out the lines of his body. It was an odd sight and even odder sensation.

His gaze jerked to the masked man as he jumped into the mirror with Caitlin. It rippled before solidifying. "No," he tried to shout, but a hushed, nearly imperceivable sound was all that came out.

With a pounding heart, he turned to Shadow Thief and eyed him as the dead man he'd soon be. He would regret ever coming to him, ever joining their insignificant band of villains.

Zoom rushed to him, but he could go no faster than a normal person, and his attack was just as ineffective. Nothing connected. He couldn't figure out how to control his limbs. They wanted to drift in space, not come crashing down with the force of a speeding car. He took several hits as he watched how the meta-human moved. Blood welled in his mouth and his ears were ringing, but he ignored it all. The Speed Force would heal him.

After several long moments, he honed his will and thought of his intangible form as concrete. When he lifted his arm, he deflected a punch, then blocked a kick with a delightful, bone-jarring impact. The meta-human committed to a flurry of strikes that was impressive for a non-speedster. Not that it did him any good.

Fear flittered in Shadow Thief's eyes. Zoom smiled, stretching the slits of his mask, and drove his hand into the man's chest, crushing his heart in his palm.

As his world returned back to normal, he released the meta-human, letting him collapse to the floor in an undignified heap.

"Shame," Mirror Master said. "I was just starting to get used to him."

"Where is she?" Zoom demanded.

"Who?" He looked around, then lifted a handheld mirror with Caitlin banging on it from the inside. "Oh, her. I almost forgot. Silly me." His jovial expression vanished. "I think I'll keep her. She's a looker, that one."

Zoom growled. He would enjoying ripping his spine out and hanging him from the rooftop with his entrails for all would-be challengers to see.

"Or maybe I should drop this mirror and kill her now." He tossed it from hand to hand.

"Last chance," Libra warned.

In unison, the helmeted soldiers pulled out their weapons and stepped into a fighting stance with a single stomp that reverberated around the room.

His heart fluttered at the thought of ending each of their lives.

"Time's up." In a dramatic gesture, Mirror Master opened his fingers and dropped the handheld mirror.

As it fell, Zoom sped to the masked meta-human, latched on to his face, and jumped into the mirror. He grabbed Caitlin and pulled them all out before the glass shattered on the floor. Logically, he knew there was an accompanying cacophony of noise, but his focus rested solely on Mirror Master. Specifically on his long, bloody spine now in Zoom's hand. Set against his black suit, the viscous liquid was merely a shiny coating.

He tossed the mass of bones aside and pointed a clawed finger at Libra. "You're next."

"Jay," Caitlin said, her voice shaky. "Enough. No more killing."

Wrapped in his arm, she held onto him as if he were the only thing keeping her up. As glad as he was for the contact, the cause of it had him clenching his jaw.

"They came _here_ , challenged me, and threatened _you_. They will be shown no mercy." He looked down at her pleading eyes and took a breath. He _could_ speed her out and return for them before they knew he had left.

Libra struck the end of his staff on the floor with an unnaturally loud and resonating thud.

The electricity snaking around Zoom fizzled out. It left him feeling muted, almost drugged.

"You are right," Libra said. "And now, you have left me with only one option."

A high-pitched whine assaulted his ears and made his knees weaken. He slumped in Caitlin's arms, then fell to the floor despite her efforts to keep him up. The edges of his vision faded until only a narrow tunnel existed. He focused on her as she yelled at him and pulled at his arms, trying to hoist him up.

He gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand, though he heavily relied on her.

Libra's eyes widened. He tilted his staff at them and his helmeted soldiers moved forward. They made no sound, showed no emotion. Their timing was so perfect, he could have mistaken them for an army of robots, but no, each were different and very much human.

"I call them the Justifiers. Meta-humans who refused to join me of their own free will. Their resistance, while commendable, was ultimately pointless. Once I have your power, you will become one of them."

Zoom laughed. He laughed so hard it made his side cramp. How fitting. He took Barry's speed, only to end up with some obscure meta-human taking his. And his power _was_ being drained. It felt like he was bleeding out. Fatigue battled his will with brutal efficiency. Climbing to his feet had been comparable to scaling Mount Everest.

"Jay," Caitlin urged. "We have to get out of here."

Searching deep inside himself, he found the darkness that had freed him from Barry's trap, and clasped onto it. What little Speed Force was left in his body flared to life.

"You don't have enough power to heal yourself." Libra exhaled as if he were sorry for Zoom. "Fight them and you will die."

Both sets of stairs were blocked, same with the elevator. Carving a path through the wall of soldiers was his only option. With a single quick movement, he picked up Caitlin and ran.

They swung their weapons with eerie accuracy. While he dodged most, many connected. He had turned, twisted, and ducked only to protect the woman in his arms. Sledge hammers struck him like a battering ram, knocking the breath from his lungs and cracking his ribs. Several had swords that found purchase, slicing through his suit and across his back and arms. Knife wounds made his flight nearly unbearable.

Each second that passed was ten times harder than the last, and just when he thought they were free, a soldier landed a particularly vicious blow to his head. He staggered, nearly losing his grip on her, but he tightened his hold and charged out the building.

The amount of time it took to escape and run to S.T.A.R. Labs was both infinitesimal and infinite. They tumbled to the floor when he could go no further. His Speed Force was officially gone. Those last couple steps had been powered by nothing more than sheer force of will.

A gasp of surprise coursed through the room. Cisco ran to Caitlin and tried to pull her back as Harry stood over Zoom with that ridiculous gun of his.

She ignored them all and stared down at him with a flurry of emotions playing out on her face. He wondered which one she'd settle on. If she would forgive him, or at least not hate him quite as much as she should.

After pulling off his mask, her brows bunched together and her lips hardened, but her eyes brimmed with unshed tears.

He smiled just before a harsh cough twisted it into a grimace. "Not exactly how I thought my life would end."

Wiping away what surely had to have been blood on his face, she laughed grimly at his poor attempt at humor. "It was always going to end like this. Tyrants never rule for long."

He blinked away the haze clouding his vision and lifted a hand to touch her cheek. "I may be a monster, but what I felt for you was real."

"I know."

"Then you"—he coughed again—"forgive me?"

Tears now spilling down her face, she shook her head.

He nodded in acceptance, coughing even more. Breathing was almost too much to bear. Despite how much he wanted to never let her go, the sensations in his limbs had faded to the point his hand fell from her cheek. "Thank you."

"For what?"

His eyelids drifted closed. He was just so tired.

"Jay." Caitlin cupped his face. "Jay, look at me."

He did, and it saddened him he'd never get the chance to do so again.

"For what?" she asked.

"For showing me I was capable of love."

Unable to hold on any longer, he relaxed into Death's comforting embrace.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Finding a way to kill off such a bad-ass character was a challenge. Hopefully it was believable. While I know the show won't go this particular route, some variant of self-sacrifice might be possible. I firmly believe he's going to die. It's the "how" that is the real question.

I promise there will be a happy ending in one of the paths, and there's only one more death we have to endure. Hang in there. :)

The DC villains I used were part of a group called the Injustice Gang. Libra steals power with his staff called an Energy Transmortifier. The only thing I changed was Shadow Thief's attire. I wanted it to be more distinct, rather than another black bodysuit.

I'm really surprised and grateful for all the reviews and favorites/follows. Each email notification was a gift! Feel free to share your thoughts on how our ship will end. While I have an idea for each five paths, I could use a little inspiration. Lol. As usual, constructive criticism is welcome.


	3. Path 3 - Zoom's Weakness Realized

**Path 3 - Zoom's Weakness Realized**

Takes place after episode 21.

Caitlin had stayed. After his grand speech to his army of villains, she had chosen him. Never mind he'd given her an ultimatum, one that consisted of a dire future should she had _not_ chosen him. All that mattered was her loyalty, that she was still here, sleeping soundly in the bed he'd provided for her.

Careful not to wake the brilliant scientist, Hunter walked to her side. The moonlight streamed in through the windows, highlighting the gentle curves of her body and the delicate lines of her face. Her radiant skin seemed to glow more so than normal. Maybe having finally come to terms with their intertwined fates gave her peace of mind.

Her chest rose and fell with grace, one of her fingers twitched as if to reach for him. Ethereal and pure weren't strong enough words to depict her beauty.

Despite the many painful lessons life had taught him, he allowed hope to creep back into his heart. He knew doing so would court bitter disappointment and heartbreak, but he wanted her so desperately he'd risk anything, even the remnants of his sanity.

Hope was a cruel and dangerous emotion, one he thought had been smothered by the many years spent suffering in a dank orphanage, then strangled by the violent despair the place had brought out in him.

Alone and scared, he'd prayed for an angel to rescue him. All he wanted was someone to hold him. He had craved warmth and light, until he realized angels didn't exist. Miracles were a lie. No one would ever love him again.

Then, he'd met Caitlin. She was supposed to be an expendable tool to help him get close to Barry. He needed the Flash's Speed Force to heal him. Much to his surprise, though, she'd discovered his cellular degeneration and sought to heal his condition, despite him being new to their group, despite the odds stacked against her. She never quit, never gave up on him.

The angry knots binding him to his past unraveled whenever she was near. Like the mid-afternoon sun to a drowsy cat, her presence soothed and caressed him. He'd slept more deeply in the short time of knowing her than he had in his entire life.

If she had found peace, then he had found salvation. Never had he stayed his hand when it came to killing others. Whoever failed or disobeyed him, got in his way, or merely annoyed him, would soon find their lives cut short. Twice he could've killed Barry, same with the rest of her friends, but she had called to something deep within him, something old and withered. His humanity.

No one, not any of his previous lovers and so-called friends, had been able to do what she'd done. It had unnerved and thrilled him. Any previous thoughts of leaving her behind had vanished.

He knew he loved her, but just how much became clear when he started considering her needs before his own: she needed to think of him as Hunter, not Jay, she needed to accept they belonged together, and she needed to let go of her old life. More importantly, he didn't want to hurt her. He made sure she'd been comfortable. He had even kept secret the particle accelerator explosion that had killed Barry, when he could've used the information to sway her to his side. It would've been a shallow victory, though, one he wouldn't have accepted. She had to have chosen him on her own.

And she had, but now Barry was back with his powers, stronger than ever. Twice he could've killed him. Twice he hadn't. All because he loved her, and love was a weakness he couldn't afford, not with the Flash threatening his rule. Barry and his friends had already used Hunter's long-dead parents against him, no doubt they'd use Caitlin in a similar way.

He hated the Speedster for coming back from the dead. He _hated_ him for making Hunter lose the one good thing in his life.

As he stood over Caitlin, hand phasing into a blur that could penetrate muscle and bone as if they were a simple hologram, a series of memories flashed in his mind: his father ordering him to stay put; the sinister look in his eye as he placed the too-large helmet on his younger-self's head; rough hands on his shoulders, turning him to better see what he was about to do; the sound of his mother's cries, the gun cocking, and the ensuing blast; his mother lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood.

Hunter blinked and refocused on the woman lying before him. She didn't have to bear such a gruesome death. He could grant her a peaceful one, no fear and no pain.

As if a vice had clamped onto his heart, his chest ached with agony. His throat constricted and his eyes stung with unshed tears, but he forced it all back. He shoved his emotions to the deep, dark place that kept him going, that fed his power.

With one simple motion, he passed his hand through her rib cage to cup her heart in his still-vibrating palm. It was warm and strong, just like her. The fragile organ beat out a steady rhythm as if trusting him to do the right thing. He would, he reassured himself. Her sacrifice would not be in vain. He would win the war on this Earth and all the others. Meta-humans would no longer have to hide in fear. They would all be free soon.

After calling forth his blue electricity, he directed it to his fingertips, shocking the organ just enough to disrupt its rhythm. His breath stuck to his throat, refusing him air as her heart fluttered like hummingbird wings mid-flight. When it settled into an eerie stillness, he snatched back his hand and fell to his knees, prostrating before her.

They made him do it, made him kill Caitlin, his love and salvation. His humanity.

In a rare moment of clarity, he realized Barry and his father were no different. They took the best parts of him and destroyed them, turning him into a monster.

Every emotion he'd been suppressing, came bursting out in one massive deluge. He gasped, doing his best not to suffocate under the weight of it all. Grief and loss consumed him. Anguish and resentment clawed at his insides. Rage sharpened the edges of his soul she'd managed to soften. And the Darkness fed on it all.

He caressed her cheek, committing to memory the feel of her skin, the color of her hair, and all the little bits that made her unique, special.

Caitlin's death was Barry's fault. He would pay. They all would.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I loved, Loved, LOVED being in Hunter's head. It was so twisted and fun. If I ever write original fiction, one of the POV's will be dark and slightly off-kilter, so this was great practice.

Something is up with fan fiction. I can't respond to reviews, so I apologize for not getting back to everyone. Just know that I really appreciate them. They are a bright light when crushing doubt kicks in, as it does with every newbie writer. This applies to favorites and follows as well! :)

 **Taking requests:** one reviewer asked if I can do a chapter where Caitlin choses Hunter's side. Definitely! While it'll be OOC, who cares, right? Lol. That's the point of fan fiction, we get to do whatever we want. This gave me the idea to take requests, so send me what you wish would happen to Snowhunter and I'll do my best to make it happen! Since I'll have more than five paths, I'll eventually tweak the name.

Thanks for reading!


	4. Path 4 - Fire and Ice

**Path 4 - Fire and Ice**

 _Takes place after episode 21._

Caitlin paced the second floor of the precinct. All of Zoom's henchmen had filed out into the streets of Central City to wreak havoc and chaos. Her heart pounded so hard, she thought she was going to have a heart attack. She wrung her hands, taking deep breaths, but nothing calmed her. The sole reason she'd stayed after Zoom's ultimatum was to be privy to his plans and warn Barry, like she had when he'd targeted the police.

But now she was trapped with no way to contact anyone. It took all of three seconds for Zoom to rip out the phones and computers, clear out the police boxes she'd found the cellphone in, board up the windows, and barricade her in. He'd even gone so far as to remove all sharp objects, as if she were on suicide watch. It would've been easier to lock her in a cell, but no, she was his guest, and apparently, there of her own free will.

What had she done?

Her breaths were too rapid. She couldn't exhale. Her chest heaved in time with her racing heart. Clinically, she knew she was hyperventilating, but she couldn't stop. Not once the stress of her job had ever gotten to her. She'd been kidnapped by an angry, yet brilliant gorilla; targeted by evil meta-humans; worked under a super villain from the future; and generally been in harm's path just by being near Barry. She should be able to handle anything. She should be a pro at this, but Zoom was Jay— no, he was Hunter. Jay had been a lie, and thinking of him as her once-lover only caused her pain.

The room darkened, then grew cloudy. Little bursts of light dappled her vision. Before Caitlin could pass out, she darted to a chair and sat with her head between her knees.

What was she going to do now?

Loud static filtered in through the intercoms. "Caitlin? Caitlin, can you hear me?"

Her head jerked up at the sound of Cisco's voice.

"I think she can." He paused, as if listening to someone else. Harry perhaps. "Caitlin, this is only a one-way intercom, so I need you to wave or something."

She jumped to her feet, moving both arms like an enthusiastic airplane Marshaller. If they could see her, then they had access to the security cams as well. They could help her escape.

"Good." He exhaled, long and slow. "He hasn't hurt you, has he?"

Shaking her head, she lowered her arms and wrapped them around herself. Hunter thought he loved her. He wouldn't hurt her physically. The more insidious ways were fair game, though.

"We've been so worried about you, but so many things have happened since you were taken. What has Jay— Hunter told you?"

"Nothing." She shook her head to get her point across.

He went on, debriefing her in his usual jocular way, while she searched for a pen and paper. Several times, she had paused and looked at one of the cameras in surprise. Barry had died, but not really. He'd been in the Speed Force and was now back with his power, fighting the meta-humans as they spoke.

After scribbling, 'I'm trapped. How do I get out?', she held up her sign and slowly turned, unsure which camera he watched her through.

"Stop. Walk closer." When she did, he sighed, then pulled away from the mic to argue with someone. Though she tried, she couldn't make out what was said.

"Snow," Harry's urgent voice filled the room. "We need you to stay put. And we need you to get Zoom to agree to peacefully meet with us."

In a detached way, she realized she'd dropped her sign. As her paper floated toward the floor, she stared at its meandering path, trying to process his words. Stay. Convince Zoom to do something. Peacefully. She nearly laughed out loud. Her shoulders shook from her repressed mirth, despite desperate tears filling her eyes.

She just wanted to go home.

"If anyone can do this, it's you, Snow. Are you still with me?"

Sucking in a sharp breath, she pulled herself upright and nodded.

"There's something bigger going on. Something bigger than Zoom and his army—"

Cisco interrupted him with a rustle of noise. "They're my visions. I get to tell them." His voice strengthened as he focused his attention on her. "So I've been having these visions of an all-powerful being, huge and craggy faced with eyes that shoot out some kind of energy beam, but like nothing I've ever seen. They can curve and twist, go through matter and not destroy it, but then it hits his target and they disintegrate." He snapped his fingers. "Just like that."

"Get to the point, Cisco," Harry drawled.

"He goes to different worlds, takes them over. It's like Hitler's dream realized. And he's on his way. Here."

She blinked.

"Did you get all that?"

She blinked again.

"Caitlin?"

Lifting a finger for him to give her a moment, she took a slow breath, then grabbed the paper and pen to write, 'When and where do you want to meet?'.

"Here, at STAR labs, as soon as possible. Have him call off his goons too."

They must think she was some kind Fairy Godmother with a magical wand. How in the world was she supposed to do this? She sat and rubbed her temples.

Static cut through the line. "We have to go ... They're attacking the building."

She jumped to her feet, shaking her head. While she worried for them, she didn't want to be alone. It felt so good to hear a friendly voice, she'd managed to finally relax, even with all the doom and gloom.

"You have ... get his attention ... Hurry."

Their connection was cut off, leaving her alone in heavy silence. She collapsed into her chair again, doing her best to not let herself get caught up in the weight of her problems. One thing at a time, she told herself.

Her gaze landed on the papers, particularly the one begging for help. She couldn't let Hunter see it. Hiding it wouldn't work. She thought about ripping it to shreds, but he could still put it together. Eating it was out of the question.

Fire.

Of course, there were no lighters, but batteries and aluminum gum wrappers were easy enough to find.

It took only a moment for a spark to ignite the papers and consume her writing. Satisfied, she dropped them in the small trash can before realizing her mistake.

In her haste, she had forgotten to dump it, and now all the papers and trash inside fed the fire. The flames were already melting the plastic. She nudged it with her shoe to scoot it away from the wooden desk, but hadn't taken into account how hot the damned thing would be.

She jumped back, cursing under her breath, and ran to grab a fire extinguisher. The closest station was empty though, as well as the next. It wasn't until she'd scoured the downstairs, she realized Hunter must have removed them.

Pushing back her wild hair, she looked around for something else that could put out a fire. A half-empty water jug sat in a water dispenser in the corner.

After lugging the heavy burden upstairs, she hesitated. Smoke billowed out of the room, making it nearly impossible to see the burning desk. There were no other options. She had to put out the fire.

Steeling herself, she took a deep inhalation, charged into the open room, and dumped the water on the desk. The unbearable heat didn't let up, which meant the flames had already spread.

Panic lit up her nerves. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, spurring her to run despite the wall of thick smoke closing in on her, concealing everything, even light. Her galloping heartbeat pounded in her ears. Soot turned her eyes into waterfalls. Her hair and clothes clung to her sweat-soaked skin.

She bumped into things and tripped over others. There would be bruises, but those were the least of her worries. She was lost and her body demanded air.

Unable to hold on any longer, she gasped in a lungful of acrid smoke, only to choke on it. Harsh coughs raked her body as she dropped to her knees, ripping off her shirt to cover her nose and mouth. The darkness was as suffocating as the clogged air.

If she died from such a stupid, colossal mistake, she was going to be furious.

She crawled around, looking for the stairs. All she thought about was making it out alive, helping her friends, and taking a long vacation.

What felt like hours had passed, and yet she never found her escape. Breathing hurt and provided little oxygen. It made her light-headed and so tired she desperately wanted to lie down. So she did.

Caitlin rested her head on the warm tile and blinked lazily at her smoke-filled surroundings. Her muddled thoughts slowed as a cool feeling of euphoria spread over her.

Knowing that she was dying should have frightened or angered her, but nothing penetrated the mind-numbing fatigue, not even the strange tunnels of wind that sucked out the smoke, or the nightmarish masked man carrying her outside.

The next time her eyes opened, she found herself in a hospital bed with an oxygen tube in her nose and needles in her arms. Early morning light filtered into the quiet room. It had been night when Cisco contacted her. Fear for them had her bolting upright and pulling out all the tubes. She needed to make sure they'd survived the attack.

When a large hand landed on her shoulder, easing her back onto the bed, she flinched. Memories of her rescue came flooding back. Zoom had saved her. Again.

She expected to see the ugly mask of Zoom or the hard eyes of Hunter. What she found though, was Jay, worried for her well-being.

"You gave me quite a scare, Cait," he said.

Unnerved by the softness in his tone and the tired look about him, she tried to swallow. Her sore throat grated from the simple action and she grimaced.

"Do you need a nurse?"

He stepped away from her bed and she noticed he still wore his black speedster suit. He must have been with her all night, which was good. If he was in her room, then he wasn't out there, doing God only knows what.

Waiting for a response, he stared at her, seemingly just as unsure as she felt. It reminded her so much of the Jay she had fallen in love with, it made her chest ache. She shook her head, answering his question, then let herself fall back on the pillow.

"I'll let you rest, then."

He turned to leave, but she threw out a hand to catch his. His body went rigid. He looked at her in surprise and moved back to the bed. Was that guilt in his eyes? For removing the fire extinguishers? For forcing her to take desperate measures? Regardless, she hadn't thought him capable of the emotion.

"Barry?" she croaked out.

As if she'd flipped a switch, his face transformed into Hunter's. "Alive. Same with your friends."

She nodded in relief. "They—" The pain of talking cut her off. Each utterance was like swallowing thumbtacks. "A message."

"I know."

Her eyes widened.

"You didn't think I wouldn't also have access to the security system, did you?" He tsked. "I saw it all. I saw your sign."

The monitor picked up her sprinting heartbeat and announced it to the world with loud, fast-paced beeps.

"You lied to me, Cait." He smoothed back her hair with a gentle hand. "It hurts, you know."

She tried to speak, but he hushed her.

"Seeing you almost die made me nearly go crazy. I can't lose you too."

He was talking about his mother, she realized. While his tragic past saddened her, she just couldn't forgive the horrible choices he'd made.

"Which is why I'm willing to make some changes. Maybe Barry and I can work together. If meta-humans are free, no more hiding, no more stigma, then I'll help fight Darkseid." At her raised brow, he added, "Cisco named him."

He was looking to make amends, to be a better person. For her. It wouldn't be enough for lasting change, but it was a step in the right direction.

Squeezing his hand, she mouthed, 'thank you.'

His stance softened, and there was _her_ Jay again. The awkward, boyish look thawed the icy wall she'd built around her heart when it came to him.

He lifted their hands and kissed the back of hers before walking to the door. "I'm leaving someone behind to watch after you while I'm away. If you have even a scratch when I come back, he dies."

Without waiting for a reaction, he left. His words were so matter-of-fact, he could've told her the sky was blue and the grass was green. She shook her head, wondering if that would ever change, then closed her eyes for a much-needed nap.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I had a sadder ending planned for this chapter — no, not another death :) — but it had a mind of its own and took over. I never resist when that happens because it always turns out better.

So I can check off 'Zoom helps Barry' from my list. I just have one more of mine and then I'm on to the requests. Right now there's Zoom wins, forcing Caitlin to stay with him, and Caitlin chooses Zoom. Should the last one be a two-parter? Maybe one where she stays, but in hopes to bring out his humanity, and another where he brings out her inner Killer Frost, she goes dark, and becomes his partner-in-crime.

Also, if you have any more ideas, I'm game. It's been a lot of fun writing for our little Snowhunter community, and you've been so supportive it makes me want to continue. I can't thank you enough!


	5. Path 5 - Absolution

**Path 5 - Absolution**

 _Takes place after episode 22._

Zoom thrust his arm through Barry's father's back. His hand stuck out well beyond the elder man's chest, causing him a great deal of discomfort, yet Hunter hadn't solidified his limb to cause permanent damage and certain death.

The wretched sound coming from Barry, his look of utter shock and grief clawed at his mind, ripping out memories and feelings he could no longer contain, not since they'd pried them open in a failed attempt to trap him.

His mother's murder played out in his head over and over again. Hunter had stood there, unmoving, unblinking, no different than an inanimate object, as she cried in fear and pain, as she yelled for him to run. But he couldn't. It was as if he'd disconnected from his body, watched the horror movie of his life from the safety of his mental couch.

While he hadn't shown any emotion, not during or after the tragedy, inside, his response had been the same as Barry's.

Hunter shook his head, trying to clear it of the memory's talons, trying to free himself of the agony gripping his heart.

He had wanted to prove to Barry they were no different. They had led parallel lives, except for the fact Hunter had witnessed every gruesome detail of his mother's murder. If Barry had the same circumstances as him, then he'd be a monster too. Barry would be Hunter.

Instead, in that moment, he realized they were already the same. When he looked at Barry, at his anguished face, he saw his younger self. He heard his own pleas for the nightmare to end. And he couldn't do that to himself. Not again.

Pulling his phased-hand free, Hunter pushed Henry into Barry and sped out of the room.

He ran as his mother had once commanded him. He ran as fast as he could around Earth One, then Earth Two. He ran until he could go no further.

Stopping in his lair provided no relief, especially not with the lone prisoner tapping away on the glass. The gloomy surroundings only brought forth more memories, called forth an army of vengeful ghosts, the victims of his rage, to haunt and torture him.

He was drowning. He couldn't breathe. Hunter tore off his mask, gasping for air, and rushed out, away from his past, away from all the death and destruction he'd caused.

This time, he stopped in Earth One's Central City's police station, particularly where Caitlin had stayed before she'd left him. He walked to her bed, still rumpled from her night of troubled sleep, and sat. Her scent curled around him like a lover's embrace, but her absence was a noose around his neck.

There were only two people who owned his heart. The first had been his mother, until she'd been taken from him, stolen by the demon that was his father. The other was Caitlin, also taken, but by the demon inside him.

He may not have followed his father's exact footsteps, but he might as well have. She withered under his care, became a shell of her once-radiant self. He'd frightened her, threatened her. It didn't matter his words held no truth. He'd said them and she believed his show of bravado. He was just so scared of losing her as well that he'd held on too tight.

Her leaving him, running straight to STAR labs, to Barry, was the breaking point. Everyone loved the Flash and the goodness he represented, but we were all the results of our life's circumstances. No one could see that besides him, though, so he had to _show_ Barry the truth.

Hunter shook his head, then let it fall to his waiting hands. He'd gone to the precinct for comfort, instead he found remorse.

It was a terrifying emotion, one that flayed him open and left him bare. All of his mistakes, all of the evil he'd committed crashed down on him with the force of a waterfall.

He had to apologize and let her know she needn't fear him. The last thing he wanted was her to diminish any more than she'd already had. Caitlin had been kind, caring, a soothing balm to the festering wounds constantly infected by his unrelenting anger. She deserved a happy life, free of Zoom's negative influence.

The need to go to her pulled him to Joe's house. Not enough time had passed for them to depart.

Everyone was still standing around in shock from his previous entrance, when he burst through the door once again. He heard their gasps, their flinching back, and guns being drawn, but his gaze rested solely on Caitlin.

She backed away from him, eyes wide and breath rapid.

Raising his open hands, he took a step in her direction. "Cait—"

"Enough," Cisco shouted while throwing his arms out.

Hunter saw the concussive force barreling toward him, yet he didn't bother to move. It hit him in the side, jamming his shoulder and throwing him back into the wall. Plaster crumbled under his weight and coated him in a layer of white dust.

His grimace turned into a smile as the physical discomfort of several broken ribs matched and canceled out the emotional pain consuming him. The moment of relief was short lived though.

Joe shot at him, unloading an entire magazine clip in a matter of seconds. Not that it made a difference. Hunter had phased, letting the bullets pass harmlessly through his torso. He waited for the glass and drywall shower to settle before moving again.

Like a pair of repelling magnets, each step he took toward Caitlin pushed her an equal step back. When a wall blocked her path, she pressed herself further against it, as if it would relent and move out of her way.

The thought lifted a corner of his mouth. She was always so determined, so brave. And yet she trembled in his presence.

His face fell. He hated what he'd done to the woman he loved. He hated what he'd become.

Dropping to his knees, he bowed his head, then looked into her confused eyes. "Cait, I—" He swallowed, his heart tripping over itself in fear: fear of her wrath, worse yet, fear of her rejection. He wasn't even sure how to apologize. "I know I deserve nothing. I know I've caused you misery, and for that I'll never forgive myself, but I need to tell you I'm sorry."

His words had silenced all the shouting and commotion. Their audience's gaze bored into him as if drilling holes in the back of his head. He wished they'd been alone, but his new-found conscience refused a reprieve until he finished.

He stood, ignoring the sudden tension in the room. "You showed me there was humanity left in me. You showed me I was capable of feeling love. Without that, I would've committed my worst mistake yet."

Barry zipped into the room with a rush of wind. As the others sighed in relief at having their hero there to protect them, Joe and Iris asked him about his father. Caitlin looked at him as well, but Hunter's gaze never left her face. He memorized the curve of her nose and lips, the sweep of her brows, and the color of her eyes, as if the encounter would be their last. His chest constricted into a firm knot.

Caitlin looked at him again and he had to plant his feet to stop himself from moving to her side. Her crossed arms and caved chest was evidence enough of her need for space.

"What—" She glanced away from him and hugged herself tighter. "What caused this paradigm-shift?"

He told her everything he'd realized after confronting Barry. No more lies and half-truths. No more hiding from everything he'd done.

So many emotions flickered across her face, he had a hard time keeping up. There was a chance she would despise him. There was also a chance she might not. Maybe, in the deepest crevices of her heart, she might still love him.

Tears filled her eyes, yet none spilled over. She shook her head and ran from the room. A piece of himself went with her. He would always belong to her. She was his catalyst for change, his savior. Even though no one beyond the people in the room would ever know it, she was their savior as well.

He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do. Just as he turned to Barry, the younger man spoke.

"Help me save Earth Two."

It took Hunter a moment to process what he'd said. "Don't try, Barry. There's no hope for me." He held out his hands, palms up, to make it easier to cuff him. "Put me in that prison of yours and don't ever let me out."

"There's always hope."

Hunter stretched his arms out to Harry. Surely the man who hated him more than anyone would gladly lock him up and throw away the key. He just stood there, though, angry as ever, but not moving an inch. They all deferred to Barry. Without his approval, they would do nothing.

"You could've killed my dad, but you didn't. The fact you feel remorse means there is good in you. Jay wasn't a complete lie."

A dangerous laugh threatened to overcome him. "I thought we were the same, but we're not. Even if I had killed him, you wouldn't have changed. You're not pretending to be good, Barry. It's who you are."

"It's who you are too."

Hunter shook his head. He was a monster and everyone knew it. Caitlin had even said it.

Barry narrowed his eyes at him, as if he could read his thoughts. "You are who you choose to be."

He couldn't stop his gaze from darting to where Caitlin had fled.

"She trusted you first, not because she's naive, but because she saw _you_. Not Jay, Zoom, or Hunter." Barry walked to him. "Give her time. Let her see the real you again." He held out his hand for him to shake and added, "Work with us."

Staring at the younger man's open palm, Hunter thought of Caitlin, of everything he could've done differently. As much as it hurt to reflect on all the evil he'd committed, if he hadn't needed to steal the Flash's Speed Force, he would've never met her. He couldn't be sorry for that.

Hunter clasped his outstretched hand and shook it once.

With a bright smile, Barry pulled him to the huddled group of his wary friends. Maybe one day they would forgive him, but it was Caitlin's forgiveness he needed most. He would wait and he would do whatever necessary to earn it.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** so, this chapter was me coping with episode 22, lol. Hunter's hand wasn't solid with Henry as it was when he killed his time remnant, which means I'm hoping he doesn't actually kill him. Yes, I know there's that funeral scene, but didn't someone else die in that episode? A policeman? Sheesh, I can't remember. And the other thing that gave me solace, and inspiration for this chapter was how it looked like there was a hardcore internal struggle within him as Henry and Barry expressed their feelings. We'll see how it goes tomorrow, but I'm hoping he doesn't turn out all bad.

So forgiveness was the last one on my checklist. I probably won't update for a couple weeks. We're going on vacation. Yay! But I'll be putting together an outline for the other chapters in my spare time.

Thanks for showing the love! I'm always super excited to read your thoughts.


	6. Path 6 - Search and Rescue

**Path 6 - Search and Rescue**

 _AU, set after revelation, abduction, and return to Earth One._

The soft click of a car door closing had Caitlin jumping out of her chair. She walked to the windows and peered out into the night, but it was too dark to discern anything. She was probably just hearing things anyway. Ever since Zoom had claimed the precinct, no one dared to approach it. Birds had been her only visitors.

She climbed into the lounge Hunter had brought her, snuggled into its pillowy depths, and picked up the novel she'd been reading. Knowing she would be bored, he brought rare books from around the world. Some were even first editions, so old they belonged in a museum, not on her table. Fascination smothered her guilt, though. He heard no more complaints after she found Rontgen's handwritten journal on her nightstand.

When the front door opened, adrenaline spiked her blood. Hunter never made a sound when he came to her. She darted to the stairs and looked down, wishing she had kept all the lights on.

Nothing.

Her heart picked up as she stood in heavy silence. A strong desire for Hunter's presence burned within her, causing her brows to pull together in confusion.

"Who's there?" she asked with a slight tremble.

"Snow?" Harry called out.

She placed a hand on her thumping chest. "You nearly scared me to death."

Joe stepped out first, carrying something she couldn't quite make out. "Sorry, we had to make sure you were alone."

"What are you doing here?" She rushed down the stairs. "Hunter could come back any second."

"We have it all under control. Are you hurt? I have water and food in case..."

She crossed her arms. "I'm not lacking anything, if that's what you're wondering."

He squeezed her shoulder, melting the odd icy wall his question had brought on.

"I'm fine. Really." She flipped the lights on and turned to them, her relaxed posture going rigid again. Joe had the Boot and looked ready for battle. "Are you not here for me?"

"We are."

Harry moved to them with his laser rifle in both hands. "As well as Zoom."

The hair on her arms stood on end.

"Caitlin?"

She looked at Joe.

"You're going to help us right?"

"Of course she is," Cisco said somewhere above them. His hand poked out of a vent in the upper corner to wave at her, but it was the barrel of a sniper rifle that held her attention.

They were going to capture him. Soon, she would be free. Her gaze drifted to the side as she wrung her hands, though not in nervousness. She wasn't sure what she felt.

Harry touched his ear, affirming something to whoever was on the other end of the comms, then spoke to them. "He's on his way."

After turning off the lights, Joe pulled her with him behind the corner.

Hunter zipped into the room, stopping somewhere she couldn't see. Still, the flickering light of his blue electricity stretched all the way to her. "Cait?" he asked in his normal, yet worried voice.

The desire to answer his call nearly had her scrambling out of their hiding spot.

Joe tugged on her arm, then nodded for her to go, to be the distraction they needed. She hesitated, but the strange pull she'd always felt around him carried her all too easily out in the open.

"I'm here," she said.

In less than one of her rapid heartbeats, he was in front of her, smoothing back her hair and staring into her eyes with his blue ones. Anxiety filled them. "Thank goodness, Cait. I thought they took—"

A terrible groan cut off his words as he fell to his knees. His grip on her was enough to take her down with him, but they weren't the crushing force he could've easily used.

A large speed-dampening dart stuck out of his back. His look of sad betrayal cut deeper than she'd ever imagined it could.

Joe swung around the corner, weapon at the ready.

Despite knowing she should move and give him an easy shot, she found herself rooted to the spot, until Hunter pushed her away. She slid backwards several feet from him just as a resounding bang split the air.

Caitlin squeezed her eyes shut from the jarring sound, then opened them to find the Boot's subduing silver band clamped to his leg, pinning him to the floor like an animal. Her breath stalled and her fingers twitched, wanting to reach for him.

Determination smoothed Hunter's pained expression. He was never more scary than when he had that hard look about him. She wasn't afraid, though. She stopped being fearful of him weeks ago.

After yanking out the dart, he bent to rip off the restraint when Cisco and Joe shot him again, and again. And again.

Her stomach free fell into an icy bath at the sight of his prostate position, the unnatural bend of his leg, his stretched out arm, and the silver collar wrapped around his neck like a noose. Each one emitted electrical pulses that disrupted his Speed Force. The crackling blue energy sputtered before disappearing.

Using the wall for support, she got to her feet, unable to tear her gaze off him.

The lights flicked on and Barry stopped in front of Caitlin with a gale of wind that tossed around her hair. "You don't have to see this."

"Maybe she does," Harry said with his rifle trained on Hunter. "He kidnapped her. Probably tortured her."

Ignoring him, she focused on Barry and forced herself to remain calm. "What are you going to do to him?"

"Make it so he can't hurt anyone else ever again."

Her insides twisted into knots.

Harry stepped closer to their prisoner, his eyes never veering from his target. "Take away his speed and lock him up. It's not even half of what he deserves."

With a loud crack, Hunter snapped off the cuff restraining his arm. His Speed Force jolted back to life and he sat up, working on his bound leg.

"No!" Harry aimed at him, finger sliding to the trigger.

A frigid force enveloped her. Strength and power lit up every nerve ending and energized every muscle. The room shifted to a frosty hue and stood as still as a glacier.

Caitlin threw her arms out, shouting for Harry to not shoot. The strange force gathered in her hands and coalesced into something tangible.

An icicle, no different than the one Killer Frost had made to kill her, sailed toward Harry.

Everyone stared at the glistening missile. Her mouth hung ajar at the odd sight, uncertain if it had truly come from her.

Barry zipped forward, snatching the Earth Two engineer out of the way as the icy weapon collided into the wall, exploding upon impact.

Her gaze bounced from the fragmented remains to her hands. A shiver slid down her spine.

"Caitlin," Barry whispered into the deafening silence.

Jay— Hunter was at her side before she could blink. She stared into his eyes, her breath disappearing as a realization struck her. His name didn't matter. Whether he was the kind and gentle Jay or the broken and haunted Hunter, she loved him, all of him.

Joe called her, then Harry. It took Cisco saying her doppelgänger's pseudonym to get her attention. She looked at her friends, at their concerned and horrified expressions. Was she now Killer Frost?

"Caitlin," Barry said. "We know you loved Jay, but he was a lie, constructed by a murderer, who"—he shook his head—"who, I don't know, has you brainwashed or something."

Cisco's abrupt cough sounded like "Stockholm syndrome".

Hunter's electricity sparked with outrage. He shifted toward them, but she grabbed his glove-covered hand and interlaced their fingers. He halted and looked down at the intimate gesture, then at her. His black eyes transformed into his soft blue ones, confirming what she always knew: she could bring out his humanity, help him recover from his tragic past, and just maybe stop the madness he pursued.

"Go," she told them.

Harry shook his head in disgust, Joe in surprise. Barry was too stunned to do anything.

"Go," she repeated more firmly. "And don't come back."

Cisco removed the vent and rappelled down. "Don't do this. You're not Killer Frost. You said it yourself, remember?"

Her heart ached for them, but she shoved away their concerns and turned to Hunter. "If they won't go, then we will."

He nodded and picked her up, cradling her in his arms. With black eyes and Zoom's dark voice, he faced her friends and said, "Try this again and I will destroy everyone and everything you've ever loved."

Unable to hold their gazes, she looked at Hunter's blackened lightning bolt insignia and squeezed his arm to get him to leave. He turned and the world dissolved into a blur of speeding lines.

She was still Caitlin, though. Her friends would see that. Eventually. Hopefully.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Surprise! I've been sneaking in time to write while I'm away. I hope you enjoyed it!

I'm going to lump the two Caitlin-chooses-Zoom requests into one because, right now, I see them playing out too similar and that would be boring. Plus, this one ends with a bit of a question mark. She chose him because she loves him and to help him, but who's the one going to change? Will she be able to hold on to her self or will she turn into Killer Frost?

After watching the season finale, I've added another alternate ending. I'll probably work on that before I get to more requests because it's stuck in my head and I have to get it out. I love the variety of the requests, btw. Some of them were ideas I hadn't even considered!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the chapters, the pair, and the show! I'm so happy there's more of us Snowhunters out there than I had thought. Solidarity! :)


	7. Path 7 - To the Victor go the Spoils

**Path 7 - To the Victor go the Spoils**

"Bye bye, multiverse," Zoom said, standing over Barry. Certainty inflated his chest and made him gloat. He couldn't help it. After so long, he finally had everything: his health, power, supremacy.

The younger man jumped to his feet while throwing a punch. Zoom deflected it with a light hand. He blocked several more before catching a glimpse of Barry's time remnant running around the magnetar in the opposite direction. He was trying to counteract the beam of energy shooting up to the night-sky, burning a hole through this universe's shell to crack open and destroy all the others.

The Flash thought he was so smart. He thought his goodness made him better than Hunter. Worst of all, he thought he was going to win.

Zoom snatched Barry by the throat and dangled him off the ground. He squeezed the tender flesh just enough to cut off his air supply. As much as he wanted to feel the snap of bone, he'd rather see his eyes bulge from agony and defeat.

The gasps of terror coming from their audience was music to his ears. He tilted his head to better hear them.

Barry clawed at his hand, kicked at his torso. He twisted and turned. All to no avail. Hunter's grip was as strong as his need for dominance.

When the Flash's face turned a beautiful shade of deep red, when his veins swelled to many times their size, when the spark of defiance left his body, Zoom clenched his fist. He gave himself one more second to soak in the exquisite sight of the limp and lifeless hero, then he dropped him. The heavy thump of Barry's corpse against the pavement added to the cries of grief and declarations of hatred. He smiled, reveling in their symphony of pain.

Hunter turned and strode to the fiery orange streak zipping around the magnetar. The red energy the remnant produced slid up the bright beam of light, encasing and smothering it.

In the fraction of a second before the remnant completed his loop, Zoom stood in his path and phased. The younger man ran through him, then stumbled and skidded along the ground. He came to a stop with his back to them, unmoving. Dead.

The red energy disappeared and the magnetar's pulse flared, lighting up the sky as if it were day.

Hunter tossed Barry's heart over his shoulder and ran to the small group of Flash loyalists. They jerked back in surprise as he practically materialized in front of them. Tears lined some of their wide eyes, and streamed down the cheeks of others.

He wiped away the wetness on Caitlin's face and cupped her jaw to make her look at him. The quivering of her lower lip was borne of sadness rather than fear. She'd been afraid of him once, but now there was no room for any other emotion. Her torment was a searing pain in his chest.

He hated that she'd chosen Barry over him, over their love. Her betrayal had hurt. It was an aching wound that would stay with him for the rest of his long life.

When she had found him working on the magnetar, she'd said she was sorry she'd hurt him. She'd said she wanted to be with him. It didn't matter that she'd only been a hologram at the time, he would've known if she were lying. Some part of her still loved him.

But he'd been honest as well. He simply could not show her or anyone mercy.

Zoom's phased hand slipped through her ribcage and clasped onto her heart. An invisible vise clasped onto his as well. Her breath came in ragged and sharp. His werr quick and shallow. They stared into each other's eyes as he leaned in to kiss her.

"No," Cisco yelled.

He flung out his arms to blast Hunter away from them, but Zoom sped to the young engineer's motionless form, grasped onto his jacket, and hurled him into the magnetar's thick energy beam. A loud sizzling pop split the air. Horrified shrieks added to the soundtrack of his victory.

While he held no ill-will toward Cisco, his powers were growing, and Hunter would not tolerate a threat, even an eventual one, to his rule.

Caitlin slowly shook her head, as if she were dazed. Her cheeks were no longer dry. She pressed her hands over her heart, the same place where he had nearly killed her.

Sweet, foreign relief filled him. It made his muscles want to slacken. It made him want to whisk her away and keep her for himself.

He was victorious, the Destroyer of the multiverse, the Master of Earth Prime. He had everything he wanted. Everything besides her.

As he walked to Caitlin, Harry stepped in front of her. Joe followed suit. Together they stood as a flimsy wall made of crumbling paper. He could've crushed them with no effort at all. Instead, he stopped his advance and removed his mask.

"I should hate you, Caitlin, but I don't. I can't." He paused, letting her absorb his words. "Come with me and I will spare your friends."

"No," Wally called out much to his father's dismay. "No more sacrifices."

Hunter ignored him. "Stay with me and they will continue to be spared. But double cross me again, and they die."

Wally tried to move to him, but Iris and Jessie held him back. "You won. You're the king of the mountain," he yelled. "So why don't you go and brag about your triumph to the world."

The desire to crush his skull made Zoom's blue electricity erupt to life.

"Jay." Caitlin's voice broke through the murderous haze clouding his mind.

Relaxing his fists, he reabsorbed the energy and looked at her.

If not for the slight strain around her brows and lips, she would appear completely calm. After everything that had happened, he wasn't surprised. Her unease at being with him would fade. She'd loved him as Jay. She would love him as Hunter.

He extended out a hand to her.

There was a long pause as she took a deep breath and gazed at each of her companions. He grit his teeth doing his best to temper his impatience.

"Okay," she said. "So long as you keep your word."

Despite her friends protests, she stepped forward, except Joe and Harry refused to move out of her way.

Hunter phased through them and stood before her, still holding out his hand. This time, leaving with him would be of her own volition.

Her slender fingers shook as she slipped them over his palm. He tugged her into his arms, and ran to the mayor's house. It was large and stately; old, yet in superb condition. It was perfect.

In a matter of seconds, the man and his guard's bodies were disposed of.

Hunter sat Caitlin on one of the guest room's beds. "We stay here tonight. Tomorrow, we claim Star City."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** so the 'Zoom wins' request demanded for me to write it next. It really is too much fun writing as Hunter. I should probably seek help. Lol

Sorry for the delay. I was just about finished with my other story, Natural Selection from the Thor fandom, that's been over a year in the making, and I had an undeniable urge to complete it. Nearly 150k words. Ridiculous.

Thanks for the comments. I'm glad we're still sticking together, even though season two is over.


	8. Path 8 - Seeing Double

**Path 8 - Seeing Double**

"Caitlin," Hunter said, setting down his fork. He'd pushed around his uneaten food for long enough. "I need to tell you something."

She smiled. "Are you finally going to tell me what's been bothering you?"

He stared at her. His lips parted.

"You've been sitting there for the past ten minutes in your own world. A gloomy one, by the looks of it." She pushed away her plate and leaned forward. "I'm here for you, Jay. No matter what."

He breathed out and returned her smile. Though, it slipped out of place as he considered her reaction to his confession.

Grabbing his hand with both of hers, she said, "I'm serious."

Her cool fingertips sent delightful tingles up his arms. "I know you mean that now, Cait, but promise me you'll listen to everything I say before you pass judgement."

She drew her brows together. "Of course."

After glancing around at all the patrons eating and talking, at the waiters hustling around the busy cafe, and at the harsh sunlight streaming in through the windows, he looked at Caitlin and had to swallow. Her gaze was so open and warm, so trusting.

He shook his head and pulled his hand back. "Maybe we should go for a walk."

"Sure. If that's what you want."

Standing, he tossed the money for their meal on the table and gestured to the exit. She followed him out, a step behind his quick pace. He didn't slow until they were across the street.

"Were we racing?" she asked, slightly out of breath. "Because even without your speed, you're still fast."

"I'm sorry." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "It was just too loud in there, too crowded."

Their arms brushed as they continued down the street in silence.

He'd gone over his speech a hundred times. He'd practiced it in the mirror. He'd written it all down before burning the papers to ash. The words should've flowed from his mouth like honey on a greased spoon. Instead, they sat there, clogging his throat, choking him.

Caitlin tugged him to a stop. "You're scaring me, Jay."

A breeze fluttered the ends of her hair about. He smoothed back the strands from her face with a gentle hand and tucked them behind the smooth shell of her ear. His heart constricted.

"Remember the day you saw my doppelgänger reading in the park?" he asked.

She nodded.

That was me, he thought. Just say it. Say it.

Her phone rang the STAR labs emergency tune. She fumbled through her purse for it while apologizing for the poor timing.

The fist grasping his lungs lessened.

She answered the call and quickly hung up. "We have to get back. There's a new meta-human terrorizing the city."

They hailed a cab and rushed back to the team. Cisco sat behind the console, fingers flying over the keyboard while Iris relayed information Joe gave her over the phone. Wells kept Barry updated over the comms as the speedster raced to the crisis.

Multiple gunshots sounded out through the speakers.

"What's happened?" Hunter asked.

"Bank robbery," Iris answered. "He's deflecting the bullets."

Harry stared at the tv showing news footage of the robbery. "Can anyone get a visual on the meta?"

The person looked like a blur. He doubted anyone would get a clear visual.

"I can't wait. He's going to get away," Barry called before speeding to the thief.

His fiery orange streak zipped to the blur, then was flung away. He crashed into the side of a building. Everyone stared at the screen as the news footage zoomed in on the rubble before shifting to focus on the blur.

Caitlin dashed over to her monitors. Hunter was right behind her. The screens showing his vitals were non responsive, as if they weren't connected to anything. Or had flatlined.

"Barry?" Her voice was high and carried a slight tremor. "Barry, are you okay?"

The comms were silent.

Iris stood immobilized, still holding her phone to ear, gaze fixed on the tv. She covered her mouth with a hand.

"He's alright," Cisco said. "His suit must be damaged."

The camera moved back to the building as Barry climbed out. Dust coated his red suit. He wobbled, but then ran, circling the meta several times before throwing a lightning bolt at him. It ricocheted into another building. Sparks flew in every direction.

The Flash shook his head and made his way back to the line of police cars surrounding the bank.

Iris spun around. "He's on the phone."

"Patching him through." Harry worked next to Cisco. The two were a seamless team, even if they argued constantly.

Barry's voice came in over the speakers. "He's spinning too fast for me or anything else to touch."

"Spinning?" Cisco grinned. "Like a top?"

"Ramon," Harry warned.

Hunter walked to the tv. "What direction is he spinning?"

"You're right," Barry said. "Running in the opposite direction will slow him down enough for me to take him out."

"Got it," Cisco announced. "The Top"—he winked at everyone—"is going clockwise."

One second there was a blur and an electric red streak. The next, they were gone.

A rush of wind alerted everyone to Barry's sudden arrival. "He's in a cell."

Harry flopped back into his chair. "That was surprisingly easy."

"Don't jinx it," Cisco said under his breath.

Caitlin came to Hunter's side, smiling. "What would we do with out you?"

He hoped he wouldn't have to find out, but it might be a very real possibility after he told them the truth.

"You should be happy." Barry clapped him on the back as he moved to Iris. "The city is safe again."

Harry scoffed. "For now."

Because of Zoom. Because of him.

Hunter stepped away from Caitlin to better see everyone. He cleared his throat. "Have any of you kept track of my doppelgänger?"

"You found him?" Barry asked Caitlin. "I thought it was a dead end."

"It was, until Jay explained why." She looked at him, as did everyone else. He tried not to think about their curious gazes turning into one of betrayal.

"I didn't think I had to keep track of him," she answered Hunter's question. "What's this about?"

"I'm the doppelgänger."

No one responded.

"Zoom killed my father," Hunter clarified, "and threatened my mother's life to make me pose as Earth Two Jay Garrick. As him."

"Him?" Harry slammed his desk as he stood. "Earth Two Jay Garrick is Zoom?"

"Jay is a lie. My real name is Hunter Zolomon."

"Which means his is too," Cisco exclaimed.

"But," Caitlin cut in. He couldn't bring himself to see her response. "How?"

"He had you test my blood to convince everyone he wasn't a speedster. I was here whenever he couldn't be. For the most part, I've been the one working with you all."

"I've talked with him?" Barry asked, his hands clenching into fists. "Worked with him? Confided in him?"

He didn't get a chance to answer.

Barry ran out the room to wherever, probably halfway around the world to scream his frustration, before zipping back in. He snatched up Hunter's jacket and backed him into the wall. Electricity sparked around him.

Iris called for him to stop.

Not Caitlin, Hunter noted. His insides twisted into knots.

"Why are you telling us this?" the Flash demanded.

"I had to."

"Why?" Barry shoved him against the wall.

Hunter's head bounced off the hard surface. The arcing pain was nothing compared to the ache in his chest. "I can't lie anymore. Not to you. Not to Caitlin."

He risked a glance at her.

She stared at him, face blank, arms hanging at her sides.

Harry walked next to her. "What did you hope to gain by revealing Zoom's secret?"

Peace. Friendship based on truth. Caitlin. Instead, he answered, "My soul."

He wasn't a criminal. He'd never harmed anyone and held no desire to do so. He wasn't a liar either. Each time Zoom made him pretend to be him, he lost a piece of himself. "I want to help stop him."

Barry's nostrils flared, but he released him. "How?"

"He won't be expecting anyone to know the truth. You can catch him off-guard and finally use the speed dampening dart and the Boot. Use everything you have against him. You'll only have one chance."

"Okay," Cisco finally spoke up, "but how do we distract him?"

He looked at the beautiful woman whose intelligence and kindness had captivated him from the moment they'd met. "Caitlin."

"Why me?" The question was practically a whisper.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears. He tried to swallow but found it impossible. "Because we love you."

Cisco choked on something. "Zoom loves Caitlin?"

"Yes." He watched her every move to understand what she was thinking, but she only blinked at him. "It's a twisted version of love, but it's real enough to him."

"Look at this," Harry said while tapping his watch. The tv screen changed to show a police booking photo of a bearded, long-haired unkempt man. "On Earth Two, Hunter Zolomon murdered 23 people before he was convicted. When he was eleven, his father killed his mother in front of him. He grew up in the foster care system."

Everyone's gaze darted to Hunter. "My father was abusive to my mother. She took me and left. Last I heard, he'd been in and out of jail. That is, until Zoom killed him." He gazed at her, pleading for her understanding. "I had to protect my mother."

The room was quiet for many long seconds.

"I say we work with him," Iris said.

Cisco voiced his agreement, while Harry nodded his.

"How do we know who's who?" Barry asked.

"I'll announce myself the moment I come in," Hunter replied. "But if this is going to work, we shouldn't wait long. He can't suspect you're on to him."

As everyone went into planning mode, Caitlin moved to him. "Is this what you were going to tell me earlier?"

"Yes." As much as he wanted to drink her in, his shame barely allowed him to look at her. "I've wanted to tell you many times."

She stepped closer to him, demanding his attention. Despite her lowered brows, her eyes were still open and warm. "About Zoom or that you love me?"

"Both."

She took a breath. "Besides your name, has anything else been a lie?"

"I had to keep up with the charade, but my feelings for you are true." His gaze drifted around the room, at the suspicious looks thrown his way. "Though I suppose that doesn't mean much anymore."

"Jay—" She shook her head. "Hunter, while I'll need to know exactly who I've been with so I can sort everything out in my mind, I meant what I'd said." She smiled reassuringly. "I'm here for you."

An ember of hope ignited within him. Maybe he would find peace and friendship, maybe even reciprocated love.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** this was a request from Justafan on Ao3. I couldn't make the time remnant thing work in my head, lol. So I'm pretending that his doppelgänger was in on it with him, and he only killed his remnants. Hopefully, that made sense. I thought the request was a sweet take on Snowhunter, which is nice after Zoom killed practically everyone in the last chapter.

I have to be honest with you, I don't know how many more of these I'm going to do, if any at all. I feel like I'm running it into the ground. It's been fun though!


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